Is Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Picante Chicken Flavor ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 37 ingredients
- 5 additives
Less processed instant noodles
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NOVA group
3
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (processing marker) (CONTAINS ONE and MORE OF THE FOLLOWING (canola), cottonseed, palm), preserved by tbhq, contains less than 1% of (salt (processing marker)), potassium carbonate, soy sauce (processing marker) (water, wheat, soybeans, salt (processing marker)), sodium carbonate, sodium hexametaphosphate (ultra-processing marker), sodium tripolyphosphate (ultra-processing marker), monosodium glutamate (ultra-processing marker), sugar (processing marker), hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, soy sauce (processing marker) (wheat, soybeans, salt (processing marker)), silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent (processing marker)), lactose (ultra-processing marker), MANUFACTURED IN A FACILITY THAT ALSO PROCESSES CRUSTACEAN SHELLFISH and SESAME PRODUCTS
Additives: E319 Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) , E452 Polyphosphates , E452i Sodium polyphosphate , E452vi Sodium tripolyphosphate , E621 Monosodium glutamate
As written on the pack
ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), VEGETABLE OIL (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: CANOLA, COTTONSEED, PALM), PRESERVED BY TBHQ, CONTAINS LESS THAN 1% OF: SALT, POTASSIUM CARBONATE, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT), SODIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SUGAR, HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, DEHYDRATED SOY SAUCE (WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT), SILICON DIOXIDE (ANTI-CAKING AGENT), LACTOSE. MANUFACTURED IN A FACILITY THAT ALSO PROCESSES CRUSTACEAN SHELLFISH AND SESAME PRODUCTS.
What makes it ultra-processed
Cosmetic additives
Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.
- E452 Polyphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
- E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
Substances rarely used in home kitchens
Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.
- Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
5 ingredients that would only make it processed
Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.
- Anti-caking agent Anti-caking agents are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.
Among 242 instant noodles
From least to most processed, this one ranks 67th. 93% of the instant noodles here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0041789002816, last edited 6 August 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
- Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.